The horizontal line represents the person’s life.1505 - born1557 - “An Appellation
from the cruel and unjust Sentence pronounced against
him by the false bishops and clergy of Scotland”1554 - “A faithful admonition
to the Professors of the Gospel of Christ within the Kingdom of England”1556 - “A Letter to Queen Mary,
Regent of Scotland”1558 - “The Appellation of
John Knox”; “The First
Blast”1558 - “The Appellation of
John Knox”; “The First
Blast”1559 - “A brief Exhortation to England, for the speedy Embracing of Christ’s
Gospel, heretofore by the Tyranny of Mary suppressed
and banished”1572 - died

Knox, John

, the chief instrument and promoter of
the reformation in Scotland, was descended of an ancient
and honourable family, and born 1505, at Gifford, in the
county of East Lothian, Scotland. His parents gave him
a liberal education, which in that age was far from being
common. He was first placed at the grammar-school of
Haddington, and after acquiring the principles of the
Latin tongue, was sent to the university of St. Andrew’s
under professor John Major, the same who was Buchanan’s
tutor, a very acute schoolman, and deep in theology.
Knox, however, examining the works of Jerom and Austin,
began to dis-relish this subtilizing method, altered his taste,
and applied himself to plain and solid divinity. At his
entrance upon this new course of study, he attended the
preaching of Thomas Guillaume, or Williams, a friar of
eminence, whose sermons were of extraordinary service to
him; and he acquired still more knowledge of the truth
from the martyr, George Wishart, so much celebrated in,
the history of this time, who came from England in 1554,
with commissioners from king Henry VIII. Knox, being
of an inquisitive nature, learned from him the principles
of the reformation; with which he was so well pleased,
that he renounced the Romish religion, and having now
relinquished all thoughts of officiating in that church,
which had invested him with clerical orders, he entered as
tutor into the family of HughDouglas of Long Niddrie, a
gentleman in East Lothian, who had embraced the reformed doctrines. Another gentleman, in the neighbourhood, also put his son under his tuition, and these two
youths were instructed by him in the principles of religion,
as well as of the learned languages, and he taught the
former in such a way as to allow the rest of the family,
| and the people of the neighbourhood, to reap advantage
from it. He catechised them publicly in a chapel at Long
Niddrie, in which be also read to them at stated times, a
chapter of the Bible, accompanied with explanatory remarks. The memory of this has been preserved by tradition; and the chapel, the ruins of which are still apparent,
is popularly called “John Knox’s kirk.” It was not, however, to be expected, that he would long be suffered to
continue in this employment, under a government entirely
at the devotion of cardinal Beaton (see Beaton); and
although he was, in the midst of his tyranny, cut off by a
conspiracy in 1546, Hamilton, successor to the vacant
bishopric, sought Knox’s life with as much eagerness as
his predecessor. Hence Knox resolved to retire to Germany, where the reformation was gaining ground; knowing that, in England, though the pope’s authority was
suppressed, yet the greater part of his doctrine remained
in full vigour. He was, however, diverted from his purpose, and prevailed on to return to St. Andrew’s, January 1547; where he soon after accepted a preacher’s place,
though sorely against his will.

He now set openly, and with a boldness peculiar to his
character, to preach the doctrines of the reformation, although he had received no ordination, unless such as the
small band of reformers could give; a circumstance which,
although objected to by some ecclesiastical historians, was
not accounted any impediment to 1m afterwards receiving
promotion at the hands of the English prelates. His first
sermon was upon Dan. vii. 23 28; from which text he
proved, to the satisfaction of his auditors, that the pope
was Antichrist, and that the doctrine of the Romish church
was contrary to the doctrine of Christ and his apostles;
and he likewise gave the notes both of the true church,
and of the antichristian church. Hence he was convened
by his superiors; he was also engaged in disputes; but
things went prosperously on, and Knox continued diligent
in the discharge of his ministerial function tillJuly 1547,
when the castle of St. Andrew’s, in which he was, was
surrendered to the French; and then he was carried with
the garrison into France. He remained a prisoner on.
board the galleys, till the latter end of 1549, when being
set at liberty, he passed into England; and, going to London, was there licensed, either by Cranmer, or Somerset
the protector, and appointed preacher, first at Berwick,
| and next at Newcastle. During this employ, he received
a summons, in 1551, to appear before Cuthbert Tonstall,
bishop of Durham, for preaching against the mass. In
1552, he was appointed chaplain to Edward VI.; it being
thought fit, as Strype relates, that the king should retain
six chaplains in ordinary, who should not only wait on
him, but be itineraries, and preach the gospel over all the
nation. The sanje year he came into some trouble, on
account of a bold sermon preached upon Christmas-day,
at Newcastle, against the obstinacy of the papists. In
1552-3, he returned to London, and was appointed to
preach before the king and council at Westminster; who
recommended Cranmer archbishop of Canterbury to give
him the living of Allhallows in London, which was accordingly offered him but he refused it, not caring to conform to the English liturgy, as it then stood. Some say,
that king Edward would have promoted him to a bishopric;
but that he even fell into a passion when it was offered
him, and rejected it as favouring too much of Antichristianism.

He continued, however, his place of itinerary preacher
till 1553-4, when queen Mary came to the throne, when
leaving England, he crossed over to Dieppe in France,
and went thence to Geneva. He had not been long there,
when he was called by the congregation of English refugees, then established at Francfort, to be preacher to them;
which vocation he obeyed, though unwillingly, at the command of John Calvin; and he continued his services among
them till some internal disputes about ceremonies broke up
their society. Some of the English, particularly Dr. Cox,
afterwards bishop of Ely, wished for a liturgy according to
king Edward’s form, but Knox and others preferred the
Geneva service; at length the party of Cox, to get rid of
the Scotch reformer, taking advantage of certain unguarded
expressions in one of his former publications, threatened
to accuse him of treason unless he quitted the place, which
he did, and went again to Geneva. After a few months
stay at Geneva, he resolved to visit his native country, and
went to Scotland. Upon his arrival there, he found the
professors of the reformed religion much increased in
number, and formed into a society under the inspection of
some teachers; and he associated with them, and preached
to them. He conversed familiarly with several noble personages, and confirmed them in the truth of the protestant
| doctrine. In the winter of 1555, he taught for the most‘
part in Edinburgh. About Christmas he went to the west
of Scotland, at the desire of some protestant gentlemen;
but returned to the east soon after. The popish clergy,
being greatly alarmed at the success of Knox in promoting
the protestant cause, summoned him to appear before them
at Edinburgh, May 15, 1556; but, several noblemen and
gentlemen of distinction supporting him, the prosecution
was dropped. This very month he was advised to write to
the queen-regent an earnest letter, to persuade her, if
possible, to bear the protestant doctrine; which, when the
queen had read, she gave to James Beaton, archbishop of
Glasgow, with this sarcasm: “Please you, my lord, to
read a pasquil.”

While our reformer was thus occupied in Scotland, he
received letters from the English congregation at Geneva,
earnestly intreating him to come thither; accordingly, July
1556, he left Scotland, went first to Dieppe in France,
and thence to Geneva. He had no sooner turned’ his back
than the bishops summoned him to appear before them;
and, upon his non-appearance, passed a sentence of death
upon him for heresy, and burnt him in effigy at the Cross
at Edinburgh. Against this sentence, he drew up, and
afterwards printed at Geneva, in 1558, “An Appellation
from the cruel and unjust Sentence pronounced against
him by the false bishops and clergy of Scotland,” &c. He
had a call to Scotland in 1557; and having consulted Calvin and other persons as to the prudence and necessity of
the step, he set out, and had proceeded as far as Dieppe,
when he was advised that some of his best friends seemed,
through timidity, to be abandoning their principles, and
that therefore it would not be safe for him to proceed. He
immediately wrote letters to those who had invited him,
complaining of their irresolution, and even denouncing
the severe judgments of God on all those who should betray the cause of truth and of their country, by weakness
or apostacy. These letters made such an impression on
those to whom they were immediately addressed, that they
all came to a written resolution, “that they would followforth their purpose, and commit themselves, and whatever God had given them, into his hands, rather than
suffer idolatry to reign, and the subjects to be defrauded
of th^ only food of their souls.” To secure each other’s
fidelity to the protestant cause, a common bond, or
|
covenant, was entered into by them, dated at Edinburgh, December 3, 1557; and from this period they were distinguished by the name of “The Congregation.” In the
mean time Mr. Knox returned to Geneva, where, in 1558,
he published his treatise, entitled “The First Blast of the
Trumpet against the monstrous Regiment of Women.”
His chief motives to write this, were the cruel and bloody
government of queen Mary of England, and the endeavours of Mary of Lorrain, queen-regent of Scotland, to
break through the laws, and introduce tyrannical government. He designed to have written a subsequent piece,
which was to have been called “The Second Blast:” but
queen Mary dying, and he having a great opinion of queen
Elizabeth, and great expectations to the protestant cause
from her, went no farther.

In April 1559, he determined to return to his native
country, and would have visited England in his way, but
queen Elizabeth’s ministers would not suffer him, because
he had rendered himself obnoxious to their royal mistress
by inveighing against the government of women. He accordingly arrived in Scotland in May. At this time a public prosecution was carried on against the protestants, and
their trial was just ready to commence at Stirling: Knox
instantly hurried to share with his brethren in the threatened danger, or to assist them in their common cause.

Dr. Robertson, in describing this business, says, “While
their minds were in that ferment which the queen’s perfidiousness and their own danger occasioned, Knox mounted
the pulpit, and, by a vehement harangue against idolatry,
inflamed the multitude with the utmost rage. The indiscretion of a priest, who, immediately after Knox’s discourse, was seen preparing to celebrate mass, and began
to decorate the altar for that purpose, precipitated them
into immediate action. With tumultuous, but irresistible
violence, they fell upon the churches in that city, overturned the altars, defaced the pictures, broke in pieces the
images, and proceeding next to the monasteries, laid those
sumptuous fabrics almost level with the ground. This
riotous insurrection was not the effect of any concert, or
previous deliberation. Censured by the reformed preachers,
and publicly condemned by the persons of most power and
credit with the party, it must be regarded merely as an
accidental eruption of popular rage.” From this time Mr.
Knox continued to promote the reformation by every means
| in his power, sparingno pains, nor fearing any danger.
Mr. Knox, by his correspondence with secretary Cecil,
was chiefly instrumental in establishing those negotiations
between “The Congregation” and the English, which terminated in the march of an English army into Scotland to
assist the protestants, and to protect them against the persecutions of the queen-regent. This army, being joined
by almost all the great men of Scotland, proceeded with
such vigour and success, that they obliged the French
forces, who had been the principal supports of the tyranny
of the regent, to quit the kingdom, and restored the parliament to its former independency. Of that body, a great
majority had embraced the protestant opinions, and encouraged by the zeal and number of their friends, they
improved every opportunity in overthrowing the whole
fabric of popery. They sanctioned the confession of faith
presented to them by Knox, and the other reformed
teachers: they abolished the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts, and transferred the causes to the cognizance
of the civil courts; and they prohibited the exercise of religious worship, according to the rites of the Romish church.
In August 1561, the queen arrived from France, and
immediately set up a private mass in her own chapel;
which afterwards, by her protection and countenance, was
much frequented. This excited the zeal of Knox, who
expressed great warmth against allowing it: and, an act of
the privy-council being proclaimed at Edinburgh the 25th
of that month, forbidding any disturbance to be given to
this practice, under pain of death, Knox openly, in his
sermon the Sunday following, declared, that “one mass
was more frightful to him than ten thousand armed enemies,
landed in any part of the realm.' 1 This freedom gave great
offence to the court, and the queen herself had a long con*
ference with him upon that and other subjects. In 1563,
he preached a sermon, in which he expressed his abhorrence of the queen’s marrying a papist; and her majesty,
sending for him, expressed much passion, and thought to
have punished him; but was prevailed on to desist at that
time. The ensuing year, lord Darnley, being married to
the queen, was advised by the protestants about the court,
to hear Mr. Knox preach, as thinking it would contribute
much to procure the good-will of the people he accordingly did so but was so much offended at his sermon,
that he complained to the council, who silenced Knox for
| some time. His text was Isaiah xxiv. 13 and 17,” O
Lord, our God, other lords than Thou have reigned over
us.“From these words he took occasion to speak of the
government of wicked princes, who, for the sins of the
people, are sent as tyrants and scourges to plague them;
and, among other things, he said, that” God sets over
them, for their offences and ingratitude, boys and women."

In 1567, Knox preached a sermon at the coronation of
James VI. of Scotland, and afterwards the First of Great
Britain and also another at the opening of the parliament.
He went vigorously on with the work of reformation but,
in 1572, was greatly offended with a convention of ministers at Leith, where it was agreed that a certain kind of
-episcopacy should be introduced into the church. At this
time his constitution was quite broken; and what seems to
have given him the finishing stroke was the dreadful news
of the massacre of the Protestants at Paris about this time.
He had strength enough to preach against it, which he
desired the French ambassador might be acquainted with;
but he fell sick soon after, and died November 24, 1572,
after having spent several days in the utmost devotion.
He was interred at Edinburgh, several lords attending,
and particularly the earl of Morton, that day chosen regent, who, as soon as he was laid in his grave, said,
u There lies he who never feared the face of man, who hath
been often threatened with dag and dagger, but yet hath
ended his days in peace and honour. For he had God’s
providence watching over him in a special manner, when
his very life was sought."

Knox was twice married, and had children by both his
wives; two sons by the first, who were educated at St.
John’s college, in Cambridge, and chosen fellows of the
same. He requested the general assembly which met at
Edinburgh in 1566, for leave to visit these sons in England; but they were only at school then, being sent to the
university after his death. As to his writings, they were
neither numerous nor large: 1. “A faithful admonition
to the Professors of the Gospel of Christ within the Kingdom of England,” 1554. 2. “A Letter to Queen Mary,
Regent of Scotland,” 1556. 3. “The Appellation of
John Knox,” &c. mentioned above, 1558. 4. “The First
Blast,” &c. mentioned above, 1558. 5. “A brief Exhortation to England, for the speedy Embracing of Christ’s
Gospel, heretofore by the Tyranny of Mary suppressed
and banished,” 1559. After his death, came out, 6, His
| “History of the Reformation of Religion within the Realm
of Scotland,” &c. at the end of the fourth edition of
which, at Edinburgh, 1732, in folio, are subjoined all the
forementioned works. He published also a few pieces in
the controversial way, against the anabaptists, as well as
papists; and also his sermon before lord Darnley.

The character of this eminent man has been variously
represented, according to the sentiments of ecclesiastical
writers. The friends of popery, and of the episcopal establishment in Scotland, and the more recent admirers and
advocates of queen Mary, have spared no pains to give an
unfavourable turn to all his actions, while the adherents to
the church of Scotland have always continued to reverence
his character and actions. Dr. Robertson, by no means a
partial admirer of Knox, and certainly no bigot to the
doctrines or discipline of his church, says that “he was
the prime instrument of spreading and establishing the reformed religion in Scotland. Zeal, intrepidity, disinterestedness, were virtues which he possessed in an eminent degree. He was acquainted, too, with the learning
cultivated among divines in that age, and excelled in that
species of eloquence which is calculated to rouse and inflame. His maxims, however, were often too severe, and
the impetuosity of his temper excessive. Rigid and uncomplying himself, he shewed no indulgence to the infirmities of others. Regardless of the distinctions of rank
and character, he uttered his admonitions with acrimony
and vehemence, more apt to irritate than to reclaim. This
often betrayed him into indecent and undutiful expressions
with respect to the queen’s person and conduct. Those
very qualities, however, which now render his character
less amiable, fitted him to be the instrument of Providence
for advancing the reformation among a fierce people, and
enabled him to face dangers, and to surmount opposition,
from which a person of a more gentle spirit would have
been apt to shrink back.” Knox has lately found more
zealous biographers in Cook, and especially M‘Crie, whose
life of him is an important addition to the ecclesiastical
history of his country, and does honour to Mr. M’Crie’s
talents, judgment, and extensive research. It is not perhaps necessary to add many authorities to this notice of
that work. 1

1

M‘Crie’s Life. Cook’s History of the Reformation in Scotland. Robertson’s
History. There are many important remarks on M’Crie’s Life, in a criticism of
it in the British Critic for 1813.

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